


Moving Day

by themoistplinth



Series: Superheroes in Voltropolis! [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Moving In Together, Secret Identity, Supergroup, light fluff, obvious flirting, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 19:04:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14503515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themoistplinth/pseuds/themoistplinth
Summary: Life as a superhero has many troubles, the biggest of which, surprisingly, isn't the villains threatening global annihilation or the perils of constant injuries. The biggest trouble for Keith, AKA The Crimson Crusader, is hiding his life as a costumed crime fighter from his loving, long-term boyfriend. How is Keith meant to keep his secret identity if Lance is moving in?





	Moving Day

The eight months that Keith had been dating Lance were some of the best of his life; he’d been on incredible dates to extravagant restaurants, beautiful scenic views and fantastic movies. The ones he’d been able to stay for the entirety of were chocked full of romance and the ones he’d missed some of still remained fantastic experiences. He regretted that he’d had to miss some of them but it was necessary, because if he didn’t someone could’ve got hurt. Keith’s secret was a dangerous one and Lance couldn’t know.   
  


Lance could never know that Keith was a superhero.

  
How many times had Keith had to hide Lance in a bush as a supervillain charged him down or he’d pretended to get diarrhea so he could have an excuse for a lengthy fight. Thank the lord Keith had a job training ‘problem dogs’ so he had an excuse for all those bruises and scars that resulted from his destiny. Sure he had fantastical powers capable of flight, laser vision, frost breath and any number of other abilities but it was getting hard to keep the relationship going and keep the secret at the same time, which wasn’t helped by the current situation.   
  


The two of them were sitting in a newly opened boutique style ice cream parlour under the midday sun in downtown Voltropolis when Lance broached the subject. He’d just leant forward to wipe a small dribble of rocky road off of Keith’s chin when he spoke.

 

“So we’ve been seeing each other a while,” Lance said plainly, “And it’s been great. Real great, especially the parts with me in it.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. No matter the subject Lance would find a way to be cute and self centred about it. Part of the reason he loved him, even if he hadn’t said it yet.

  
“I was thinking we could take this further,” he continued, “Further than just half finished dates and crazy good sex. I wanted to ask if you wanted to move in.”

 

Immediately Keith’s head went into overdrive with complications-for one his apartment was right in the centre of town which made getting to disasters far more efficient, and it was rent controlled. There was plenty of space of course for a second person, he could afford that much with his dead father’s fortune, but what if Lance noticed something weird? How long could he keep his secret?

 

Unfortunately Keith’s mouth was faster than his brain. “I’d love to,” he said, the regret of his words muted only by the beauty of Lance’s smile, “That sounds great.”    
  


“Really?” Lance beamed.

 

“Yep,” Keith said through a genuine, though simultaneously forced, smile, “I’d love to.”

 

“Well whose place do we go with?”    
  


“Mine,” Keith said instantly, before adding, “It’s closer to our jobs.”  _ Not completely wrong _ . “And the view is amazing.”  _ It will be once you’re there.  _ “And there’s plenty of space for you.”

 

Lance took the facts in and nodded. “Sounds reasonable,” he said, “And you don’t live above a slimeball who overcharges rent or a weird smelling yogurt place. And I guess I could stand somewhere new.”

 

“Sounds great,” Keith said again, mind still focused on little changes he’d have to make before Lance moved in. Finding somewhere to hide the different clues he’s picked up. Supervillain weapons too. Dust a few surfaces. Get rid of the pizza boxes on the coffee table.

 

“Nothing else to add?” Lance teased, “Because I do.”

 

“When don’t you?” Keith retorted, more a reflex than a genuine statement.

 

Lance stuck his tongue out. “I mean I’m hoping that your mullet hairs don’t clog up the drain and I’m wondering how the heck I’m gonna move my more comfortable mattress-” Keith snorted, “Up your flight of stairs. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

 

“I have tomorrow off,” Keith offered, “I could move it up for you. Can’t be that hard.”

 

“I’m saying yes but only because I wanna say ‘I told you so’ after you fail,” Lance grinned, “But you’re sure you want me to move in?”

 

Keith forced a smile, “Of course,” he said, “Why wouldn’t I be?”   
  
*******   
Looking around his trashed apartment Keith was starting to realise exactly  _ why  _ he wouldn’t be up for having a new person living with him-aside from having grown used to living alone and leaving his dirty laundry all around on various surfaces and not stocking his fridges by depending on only take out for sustenance and other such activities befitting only a person who lived alone. Other than that of course there was the newspaper clippings of his superhero persona he kept on the walls, the Conspiracy Corkboard, the tech he’d confiscated from different villains; it’d take at least five men to clean up in time for Lance that afternoon.

  
Thankfully Keith could do things that five men couldn’t; first of all he’d need somewhere to hide the doomsday weapons. Scanning the apartment with his X-Ray vision he found the weakest spot in the floorboards and pried it open, used the Shrink Ray he’d taken from Janka the Junker and piled the weapons underneath. Next up was the empty take out containers; those were easy. He forced them into a pile and focused his sight, burning through them with his laser vision until there was nothing left but a faint smell of pizza grease.

 

Dirty laundry was another problem-normally when Lance was over he could just hide it all in a closet, where Lance wouldn’t check, but obviously that was no longer a choice. He’d have to wash it all or buy new clothes.

 

He considered his options and shook his head. He couldn’t keep replacing his wardrobe, especially as a lot of the clothes were gifts from Lance. He didn’t have time to clean them all and hide the rest of his superpowered life. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

 

Keith began clearing off his dining room table/coffee table/footrest, moving old newspapers and casefiles, until he found the communicator from his last big team up with The Paladins. It felt plastic and heavy in his hand and made him feel dirty, like he was using it for all the wrong reasons. He flipped it open and punched in a four digit code.

 

**PASSPHRASE REQUIRED** it chimed.

 

“Good Kitty,” Keith said, the embarrassment of the phrase long since worn off.

 

**ACCESS GRANTED**

 

Keith thought for a moment before saying “Contact Yellow,”. The communicator began to buzz and Keith pulled his small eye mask from the table. He barely got it on in time as the communicator screen flashed and displayed a boy in a similar mask looking worried.

 

“Crimson Crusader what’s wrong?” The Golden Goliath asked, “Is something going down?”    
  


“Worse,” Keith replied, “Remember how I saved you in that big fight against Weblum and it’s spawn?” 

 

The Golden Goliath shuddered, “Don’t remind me,” he moaned, “I still feel all sticky from it.”

 

“Well I’m calling in a favour,” Keith said, “I’m sending you an address. I’m on floor six, how soon can you get here?”   
  


“Probably five minutes?”    
  


“Make it four,” Keith said and flipped the communicator shut. He grabbed a bin bag from under the sink, moving the flesh eating virus cure he found there as he did, and quickly gathered all his laundry into it. By the end of it he had a bad smelling plastic sack ready just in time as he saw a large shape tapping at his window. Keith smiled and walked across the room to open it and the boy floated in, his large frame barely able to fit through the window.

 

The Golden Goliath set down on the floor, his boots light on the ground despite his heavy frame. He was in full costume, bright yellow shoulderpads, white spandex, golden mask, the works. 

  
“What’s the emergency?” he asked.

 

Keith thrust out the bag of laundry, “I need you to get this washed and back to me as fast as you can,” he said, “It’s of the utmost urgency.”

 

The Golden Goliath took the bin bag and stared at Keith. “I thought that there was some kind of world-ending devastation or evil or something,” he stated, “But instead you’re...having me do your laundry?”   
  
“My boyfriend is moving in,” Keith said curtly. He was taking a huge risk letting anyone see this much of his secret identity, but if there was anyone he could trust it was The Golden Goliath. He was one of the first supers he’d met, and one of the kindest souls he’d ever known.

 

“Oh man I totally get it,” The Golden Goliath said, “I mean when my girlfriend moved in it was a whole thing y’know? Like I had to hide the fact all my clothes are different sizes and that I never belch when she challenges me because I could level the city or why I wasn’t there sometimes when she woke up. But then one day she found me using my shrinking powers to eat a grilled cheese but like as a tiny person y’know, because who wouldn’t want to eat a giant grilled cheese. Then we had this whole conversation about not keeping secrets from her and then-”

 

“Goliath,” Keith said, interrupting him before he could lose himself in his thoughts, “You gotta do this man. As fast as you can.”

 

The Golden Goliath nodded. “Got it. But I have super strength so, like, if you need anything taken out or something while I’m here...”

 

Keith thought for a moment. “You’re good with food right?” he asked tentatively-he didn’t want to start another tangent.

 

The Golden Goliath seemed taken aback. “You ask me if I’m good with food? I literally just told you a story about a giant grilled cheese. What do you need?”

 

“My refrigerator is completely empty since I don’t tend to cook much. Normally I eat out with La-my boyfriend so he doesn’t notice.”

 

“Want me to pick up some normal person stuff?”

 

Keith pulled out his wallet and took out his credit card. “And a cookbook if you can, preferably second hand so it looks like I use it.” He handed the Goliath his card. “It has contactless.”

 

The Golden Goliath took the card and looked at it for a moment. Without looking up he said “Mr Keith A Kogane?”    
  


Keith felt his stomach drop as his name was spoken out loud. He opened his mouth to respond but  the only noise that came out was an angry squeak.    
  


“It’s okay, I know the identities of everyone on the team. One of the benefits of being super-soft I guess.” He patted Keith on the back. “I’m Hunk. Your secret is safe with me.”

 

Keith mumbled something back about a memory-wiping ray he had somewhere but The Goliath-Hunk-just laughed. 

 

“If I were you I’d get rid of that stuff. When my girl moved in she almost poisoned herself on one of those points spear things that the Taljeer used.” He thought for a moment. “Want me to send Jade Jumper could look after this stuff.”

 

As someone who primarily worked alone, having just Hunk know where he lived was bad enough, but letting a technological gremlin like The Jade Jumper into his apartment was definitely not happening. Who knows what kind of bugs she’d leave around the place, or what chaos she could wreck. The more supers the more trouble was how Keith tended to find things. But if he didn’t then he could risk Lance hurting himself.

 

“Give me ten minutes to get myself in costume and organised and then message her,” he said resigned, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

 

*******

 

Keith stood in his boldly red and suitably tight supersuit and stared at the To-Do List he’d pinned to the fridge, under a magnet shaped like a small ray gun. Squinting at it Keith realised it really  _ was _ a small ray gun and sighed, taking it off the fridge and adding it to the pile of technology he’d gathered up from various areas in the apartment and under the floorboard. He’d missed  _ a lot _ when gathering them before, and it was good he took them out when he did. Turned out Junker’s shrink ray was more of the temporary variety and if the weapons had been under the floor when they resized...even Keith’s super immunity couldn’t defend himself from that kind of blast.

 

The To-Do List stared at Keith. It taunted him as it said its contents in smug handwriting, Keith’s smug handwriting.

 

**To-Do List**

 

  1. **Make To-Do List** **✓**



 

  1. **Unclog shower drain**



 

  1. **Take down corkboard**



 

  1. **Hide the snacking cereal** **✓**



 

  1. **Make wardrobe space for Lance** **✓**



 

  1. **Gather superweapons, alien tech, magic items and doomsday devices for transport** **✓**



 

  1. **Find out what that smell is** **✓**



 

  1. **Hoover and dust everything**



 

A static sound sounded from the other side of the table which told Keith that the Jade Jumper had arrived. She walked through a blurry, purple patch of air, her oversized glasses obscuring her face though doing nothing to hide her height at a maximum height of maybe 5’2. She was staring down at a screen on her wrist, not bothering to look at Keith.

 

“Okay I’m only doing this because Goliath owed me one after he set me up with some  _ sweet _ motherboards,” she stated, not bothering with formalities like a greeting or an acknowledgement that they hadn’t seen each other in well over a month. That’s what Keith liked about her-she didn’t waste time.    
  


“It’s all on the table,” Keith said, gesturing to the pile of assorted goods. The Jade Jumper looked up for just a moment and he could swear he saw her tremble at the sight. Her fingers twitched as she looked it over.    
  


“Oh mama,” she whispered, “There’s so much. How do you have so much? This is more than my brother had when he disappeared and he had enough for me to stop an entire alien invasion. Is that a shrink ray?”

 

“It doesn’t work very well,” Keith said hesitantly as The Jade Jumper snatched it, “It only makes stuff small for a little while.”

 

“I can fix that,” she breathed out, practically entranced. She shook her head and placed it back in the pile and held out her arm; a small scanner buzzed over the object, emitting a blue light, and as it finished a similar rip to the one she’d entered through appeared beneath the pile, swallowing the items up. “Want me to check the rest of your apartment for anything else?”

 

Before Keith could open his mouth she held up her wrist again and the scanner buzzed around the room. “You’re good,” she reported, “But you might wanna clear those dead rats out the ceiling.” 

 

“ _ That’s  _ what the smell is,” Keith muttered, “Well thanks Jade.”

 

“You’re welcome Keith,” she said with a laugh at his face, “Hunk left his communicator on call with me after his flight here. I had it playing with my synthpop in the lab and I overheard it all. Don’t worry your secret is safe with me too.”

 

_ And whatever computers your lab has _ Keith thought bitterly. He was starting to really regret getting anyone’s help in this, and in letting Lance stay in general.

 

“Don’t look so glum Kogane,” Jade teased, “My tech is the most secure in the entire world, no one would be able to have heard that except us and Rover. Besides it’s not like I’m gonna do anything with this information, especially after you’ve given me such lovely tech.” She held out a small hand across the table. “You can call me Pidge.”

 

Keith shook her hand, “That your real name?” 

 

Pidge tapped her wrist computer a couple more times and the static tear opened back up behind her. She turned to walk through it.    
  


“Real enough,” she said as the tear closed behind her.

 

Superhero exits are almost as dramatic as their entrances.

 

*******

 

Another hour passed before Hunk came back with laundry, groceries and a plug in air freshener. He spread them out on the table and took a seat as Keith began packing it away.    
  


“So things are getting serious with this boyfriend huh?” he asked as he peeled a banana. Keith didn’t remember inviting him to stay but honestly he was something of a calming presence. 

 

“I suppose,” he said as he considered where a thing of butter would look best. He put it down then picked it back up, realising it’d look weird to have an entire stick of butter untouched in his fridge. He used his heat vision to evaporate a small segment of it and placed it back in.

  
“What’s he like?”

 

Keith thought for a moment, both about how to best describe his boyfriend and where to put salmon, in the meat draw or on a shelf.

 

“He’s...funny. And competitive. And sometimes he can get on my nerves but he never pushes it too far, just enough to get me to annoy him back.”    
  


“Mm is he cute?” Hunk asked before popping the entire banana in his mouth, making his head bigger just to do it.    
  


Keith nodded, “Cute like a puppy but handsome like…”

 

“A horse?” Hunk supplied.

 

“No?” Keith said, “Like a handsome person. Horses aren’t handsome?”

 

“Hey I think they are. They have a certain level of handsome power don’t you think?”

 

“No.” Keith said, placing down a bag of carrots in the bottom drawer, “But in all fairness horses are kinda-”

 

The end of Keith’s sentence was cut off by a knock at his apartment door and he froze. He glanced at Hunk, in full costume, then down at himself, in full costume, and felt panic. Hunk stared at him, eyes equally wide as his own, in a look that seemed to scream  _ what do we do? _

 

Keith gestured his head down to the bathroom and Hunk took the hint, hopping up and sneaking down the hall. For a hero called The Golden Goliath he sure was quiet.

 

The knock at the door came again and this time Keith heard the person knocking say “Keith? You in there babe?”

 

_ Lance! Wait, no, Lance? _

 

Keith quickly pulled a pair of jeans and a jumper over his outfit, not exactly comfortable in the Voltropolis Spring Heat but good enough to hide his costume. He brushed his hands through his hair and opened the door.

  
Lance held out a coffee to Keith, a second cup in a hand clutched close to his chest. “I’m on break, thought I’d come over to make sure your place didn’t need any extra cleaning before I moved in.” He surveyed the apartment, seeming satisfied with the effort Keith had put in so far. “Since when do you eat bananas though?”   
  


Keith’s eyes focused on Hunk’s banana peel that he’d left on the table. He’d never eaten a banana in his life, besides the smell and the taste of banana-flavoured things he hadn’t a clue what they were like.

 

“Decided to try one,” he lied, “They’re okay.” He took a heavy swig of the coffee to hide the lack of banana taste in his mouth. So far so good. 

  
“Here I’ll help out,” Lance said, and began walking to the table where the remaining groceries go. He put down his coffee and pulled out a pack of soaps. “Bathroom right?”

 

Lance started his way to the bathroom and Keith did everything he could to keep his composure-the heat of his costume and his regular clothes was starting to get to him and the stress of having The Golden Goliath right there in his bathroom was not helping.    
  


Lance pulled the handle and the door didn’t budge. “Is someone in there?” he said confused, “I think the door’s locked?”

 

“It does that sometimes,” Keith lied, “I don’t see how the door would be locked or  _ why _ .”

 

Lance tried the handle again and the door came open and Keith held his breath. This was it, either Lance would see a superhero hiding in his bathroom and dump him or demand answers and Keith would have to come clean about months worth of lies. 

 

However Lance walked in and then walked out without the soap. He started on the rest of the groceries and started putting them in the fridge or cupboards like he’d lived there for years. Keith blinked in confusion. Where was Hunk?

 

Lance continued to help Keith around the apartment for another ten minutes before claiming in a very poor lie that he had to get back to work-in reality Keith knew Lance definitely had at least another twenty minutes and just wanted to get out of sorting things out for him. Normally Keith would call him out but today he was happy to be alone in the apartment so he could figure out what the hell Hunk had done.

 

After Lance left, leaving a kiss on Keith’s cheek and an empty cup on his table, Keith let out a heavy sigh and immediately began pulling off his jeans and jumper, as well as his costume. Hunk walked out the bathroom as Keith was shirtless, looking through the laundry bag for something else to put on.    
  


“I’ve been in life and death situations literally more times than I can count,” Hunk said timidly, “But I’ve literally never been as afraid as I was in there.”

 

“Where did you even go?” Keith asked as he pulled a shirt on.

 

“I shrunk down tiny and hid in a corner facing the wall with my eyes squeezed shut just begging no one needed to use the bathroom. I mean praying to any and every god I could think of.”

 

Keith nodded, “Well thanks for all your help today,” he said, “But I gotta get back to it and we can’t risk another thing like that.”

 

“Of course, I get it, I’ll be right out of your hair,” Hunk said, “And don’t worry secret is completely safe with me. And Pidge. And if she asks my girlfriend, but she won’t ask. I just can’t lie to her again.”

 

Keith waved The Golden Goliath off and sighed. Back to work.

 

*******

 

Hour passed until Lance got back again. He called Keith to come downstairs and, suspiciously, he did. He left his remaining super-gear, including his costume, open cases and communicator, under the floorboards and headed out the curb.

 

Sitting there in a blue car in the loading bay was Lance, a mattress strapped to the top of his car. How he’d managed to get it up there was a mystery to Keith but he knew it would’ve probably taken a lot of effort, far too much time and a whole heap of spite.    
  


“You probably noticed I left early from my break today,” Lance said from inside the car, “I was meeting a guy on Craigslist who I hired to help attach the  mattress. I wanna see you get it up the stairs like you promised.”

 

Keith considered his options-if he hadn’t given The Jade Jumper his shrink ray he could probably have got it up that way. None of the windows in his apartment were big enough to get a mattress through though. He had no doubt he could carry it up but that many stairs would raise suspicions for sure. 

 

The alternative though was letting Lance win and there was no way in hell he would do that.

 

“If I can’t get it up then I’ll cook dinner,” he said, “If I do then you’re doing it.”

 

Lance grinned, “This better be the only time you can’t get it up for me,” he retorted, his jibe clearly agreement. 

 

*******

 

Keith sat opposite Lance at the dinner table, recently cleaned spotless, and enjoyed a fantastic Mussels a la Créme Lance prepared for them both. They’d had it plenty of times as it was quintessentially the ‘them’ of foods according to Lance; the fun of slurping up long strips of pasta and the violence of using the shell of a creature to prise it out and eat. They spent a while talking and enjoying each other’s company even after the meal ended, and Keith was the first to rise so he could wash up. As he did so Lance came up behind him and rested kissed the nape of Keith’s neck and rest against him.

  
“I’m really glad you’re letting me move in with you,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

 

Keith hummed in approval. “I’m glad you’re moving in,” he responded. Lance nuzzled the back of his head and he let out a small giggle. “Stop it you’re all stubbly.”    
  


Lance backed off. “I haven’t got all my stuff here yet,” he complained, though Keith could hear the smile in his voice as he walked down toward the bathroom, “Guess I’ll just have to use your razor.”

 

“Lance no!” Keith complained, “That’s gross!”

 

Lance’s laugh could be heard coming from down in the bathroom and Keith allowed himself an even bigger smile as he rinsed out a saucepan. He didn’t believe in fate but maybe Lance was some kind of cosmic reward for all the good he did as a hero. 

 

“Uh Keith,” Lance called, “Why don’t you have a razor?”

  
_ Probably because I use heat vision to shave  _ Keith thought,  _ Son of a- _

**Author's Note:**

> More to come if people want it!!!!


End file.
